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"We have always had Cottonmouth water moccasins living in the canals and at that particular bridge, but this year there seems to be large concentration of moccasins at the Dick White bridge location," said Webb Fuller, town manager.
Fuller said that for the public's safety, the town felt an obligation to warn people climbing on the rocks at the bridge that poisonous snakes live at that location.
"We don't want children playing there to be bit because they stick their hand in a crevice of a rock," said Fuller.
However, for all the town's effort to warn the public about the danger, someone keeps taking the signs down.
"We put the signs up last Friday and by Sunday someone had removed them. It is important that the signs remain in place so that people are warned about the snakes," said Fuller.
The Cottonmouth, also referred to as a water moccasin, is native to North Carolina. It is a heavy bodied, semi-aquatic snake, which is often found in wetland areas such as swamps, marshes and tidal creeks. Cottonmouths are members of the pit viper family, which also includes Copperheads and rattlesnakes.
It is a poisonous snake and considered the largest species of the genus Agkistrodon. The adults commonly exceed 20 inches in length, with males growing larger than females. They have a heavy body with a moderately long tail. Occasionally, some snakes may exceed four feet in length.
The color pattern consists of a brown, gray, tan, yellowish olive or blackish ground color, which is overlaid with a series of 10-17 crossbands that are dark brown to almost black. These crossbands, which usually have black edges, are sometimes broken along the dorsal midline to form a series of staggered half bands on either side of the body. The crossbands are visibly lighter in the center, almost matching the ground color and often contain irregular dark markings.
The dorsal banding pattern fades with ages, so that older individuals are an almost uniform olive brown, grayish brown or black. The stomach is white, yellowish white or tan, marked with dark spots, and becomes darker posteriorly. The amount of dark pigment on the stomach varies from virtually nothing to almost completely black. The head is a more or less uniform brown color.
Juvenile and subadult specimens generally have a more contrasting color pattern, with dark crossbands on a lighter ground color. The ground color is then tan, brown or reddish brown. The tip of the tail is usually yellowish, becoming greenish yellow or greenish in subadults, and then black in adults. On some juveniles, the banding pattern can also be seen on the tail.
This snake eats a wide variety of prey including small mammals, fish, birds and amphibians. The Cottonmouths' venom is a pre-digestive fluid that is used to help kill and digest prey.
The females lay eggs internally and young are born live. Females typically give birth to three to 15 young in the spring. Newborn Cottonmouths have bright colored tails that are used to attract prey.
The height of snake season is between April and October, peaking between July and August. Snakes are generally less active at temperatures less than 50-60 degrees, or greater than 80 degrees.
Snakebites from poisonous snakes are extremely dangerous. The cardinal signs and symptoms of a pit viper bite include burning pain, puncture wound, swelling, skin discoloration, nausea and vomiting, minty, metallic, rubbery taste in the mouth, sweating, chills, numbness and tingling of the mouth, face, scalp, blisters, edema progressing from the wound site, weakness, vertigo, paralysis, shock and convulsions.
If bitten, seek medical help immediately.
victoria@obsentinel.com | 480-2234
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